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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26334154">Gadget's Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterautumndreaming/pseuds/Winterautumndreaming'>Winterautumndreaming</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Gadget Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who &amp; Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drama, Drama &amp; Romance, F/M, Gen, Romance, Romantic Angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:34:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26334154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterautumndreaming/pseuds/Winterautumndreaming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The rewrite of Taven's story.<br/>Gadget has known the Doctor since they were in the academy together. She had know the Master just as long. After the time war Gadget becomes human for what's supposed to be a complete human life in order to have some peaceful memories that would hopefully erase some of the horrors she saw, Instead she is brought out of that human life and back into the Doctor's in order to help him save the universe  from the Master. Which will not be an easy task for the Time Lady. Especially when old memories and feelings begin to emerge.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Master (Simm)/OC, The Master/OC, The Master/OFC, The Master/Timeladyoc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Gadget Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Belle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: This is the rewrite and kind of re-imagining of my original work Taven's story. I've got a few of the chapters done and will be trying to post as regularly as I can. Hopefully within a week I will have a posting schedule down and be able to let you guys know more. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I am enjoying writing it.<br/>I in no shape or form own Doctor Who.<br/>Comments and Kudos are always welcomed.<br/>Thank you and enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1<br/>
Belle</p>
<p>	Belle’s hand hit the obnoxious alarm clock that had been screaming at her for three minutes to get up. With a groan she managed to roll herself out of bed. Once again her night had been a sleepless one, the medication her doctor had given her had done little to help her sleep. It seemed like everytime she closed her eyes dreams of far away planets, scary creatures, and a man who changed his face plagued her.<br/>
The college student’s light brown eyes roamed around her dorm room, her drawings littered the room. When she had started drawing originally she had been crappy at it, but eventually she was able to draw everything that came into her dreams. Originally she had started drawing in hopes that it would help get the dreams out. But every time she had a picture done from one dream, there seemed to be just another dream around the corner.<br/>
She was lucky that her roommate was also an art history major otherwise, she would probably get annoyed with Belle’s sketches lining the wall. Some of which were down right scary. Others showed a man, whose face changed, but was always still the same man if her dreams were anything to go by. Her favorite versions of him by far were the ones where he had a stick of celery stuck to his coat, as well as the one where he had an outrageously long scarf.<br/>
With another groan Belle began getting ready for the day. A quick brush through her auburn hair, that was then thrown into a loose braid. Then a loose shirt, jeans and a pocket watch she kept as a good luck charm in her pocket were all she needed to be happy with her appearance especially since she didn’t have a class that day. Instead she had signed up for the art studio the college offered for it’s students, it was a nice commodity that she used nearly every weekend. Hell she wasn’t the only one there was almost always someone else there when she walked into the studio. Something she was grateful for because on the one occasion she had been by herself she had gotten so uncomfortable with the complete silence she couldn’t stay longer than twenty minutes.<br/>
Upon her arrival to the studio Belle was greeted by the only other artist Luna. Who grinned broadly at seeing her friend enter and waved with such enthusiasm Belle was worried she would knock over what she was working on.<br/>
“Hey,” Luna’s excited voice bounced through the room, “have you had any more of those dreams?”<br/>
Belle sighed and rolled her eyes at her friend, of course that would be how Luna greeted her. “Good morning to you too,” she said, not bothering to hide the snide tone from her voice.<br/>
Luna for her part didn’t seem to care one way or the other about Belle’s attitude. “Well did you?”<br/>
“Yes,” she sat beside the redhead who grinned again.<br/>
“So, tell me about it,” Luna urged her.<br/>
Belle took out her own project and began working on it while telling her friend what had happened in the dream. “Well to start with the Doctor was the blonde one again.”<br/>
“The cute one?” Luna interrupted.<br/>
“Yes,” Belle replied with exasperation, “the cute one. Are you going to keep interrupting or let me finish the story?”<br/>
Luna mimed zipping her lips.<br/>
Satisfied Belle continued on, “anyways it was the blond Doctor, and the red headed Gadget. They were facing off against the Master.”<br/>
“The who?”<br/>
“Have I not told you about the Master yet?” Belle asked looking up from her drawing.<br/>
Luna shook her head no.<br/>
“He’s an evil Time Lord. Who is apparently sworn enemies with the Doctor. But I get the feeling that he and Gadget have a deep connection. I just can’t put my finger on what it is.”<br/>
“Maybe they had a fling.”<br/>
Belle snorted, “not likely she seems to really despise him. I mean he kept trying to kill the Doctor, who’s her best friend. So I doubt she would be able to have a fling with someone like that. Anyways back on track, they were facing off and when it seemed like the Master was about to win, the Doctor stopped him like he always does. “<br/>
“What no details?” Luna asked.<br/>
“No sorry it only came in bits and pieces,” Belle told her, “and I think I have forgotten more since I’ve been awake.”<br/>
“Well hopefully you have another one, I love these stories!”<br/>
Belle tried not to take it personally, she hadn;t told Luna that it was hard for her to actually sleep at night with these dreams. She had also kept some of the more frightening ones away from her friend, as well as some key details that she really didn’t want her friend reading into. Seeing as Luna had a bad habit of trying to figure out what dreams meant. And who knew what Luna would think if Belle told her she was actually experiencing these dreams in first person point of view and not third like she had originally said. Plus with the most recent one about the Master she really didn’t want to know what Luna would say if she knew that Gadget and the Master had definitely had some sort of romantic past. She couldn’t really say how she knew but she was pretty certain it was the way the two looked at eachother, or maybe it was the way the Doctor looked at them both when they would trade insults back and forth. Whatever it was Belle definitely didn’t want her friend knowing that her dreams were like this.<br/>
After about an hour Luna leaned back from her work and stretched, “I think I’m going to go and get something to eat. Are you hungry?”<br/>
Belle shook her head barely registering her friend’s questions, focused on the drawing in front of her.<br/>
“Alright watch my painting for me?” Luna asked as she stood up and grabbed her backpack.<br/>
“Where’s it going to go?” Belle managed to break herself out of her drawing for the briefest of moments.<br/>
“Alright smart ass,” the other woman rolled her eyes, “you know what I meant.”<br/>
“I got you,” Belle told her, focus once again slipping to her drawing.<br/>
“I’ll bring you back a snack, in case you get hungry in a bit,” Luna informed her as she exited the room.<br/>
Belle simply nodded her head in acknowledgment. Though Luna highly doubted her friend had actually been listening to her. She would have been right, Belle was back in her own world as she sketched out a large blue box. Though no one would be able to tell it was blue since she was doing it in a pencil sketch, but she knew.<br/>
Maybe twenty minutes passed before Belle heard the footsteps of her friend returning. She didn’t even bother to look up when the door opened instead opting to say, “if you’re back I think I’m going to take my own break to go get a coffee if you could watch my things.”<br/>
“I wouldn’t mind joining you for a coffee if you want the company,” a male’s voice told her.<br/>
Belle’s head snapped up to look up at the man. He was handsome to say the least, tall, dark hair, beautiful eyes, and a grin that promised mischief. But despite his outside appearance something in Belle screamed he was wrong. Not just because he clearly didn’t attend college with her, she would remember someone who looked like him. It seemed like his entire energy screamed her was off in some way.<br/>
“Who are you?” Belle asked her hand slipping into her pocket to hold the watch in her hand, its intricate surface of circles intertwining and overlapping, calming her.<br/>
“Captain Jack Harkness,” he took a few steps forward, his hand stretched out.<br/>
Belle’s reaction was instantaneous, she jerked out of her seat and made sure to keep the drawing desk she had been working at between them. “Why are you here?” it came out in little less than a snarl.<br/>
The captain for his part put his hands up, a universal symbol meaning he meant no harm. “Whoa! Easy,” he tried to calm her, “I’m here on behalf of a mutual friend.”<br/>
“I don’t have any friends that would know you,” she snapped, a large part of her wondering why she was being so hostile to the man, when he hadn’t shown any intent in harming her.<br/>
“Not even the Doctor?” Jack asked his hands falling down to his sides as Belle stared at him.<br/>
“How do you know about my dreams?” Belle asked her curiosity over riding her hostility, “has Luna been blabbing?”<br/>
“No blabbing,” he told her, “I promise.”<br/>
“Then how?”<br/>
“I told you I know him, we’re friends,” he replied.<br/>
“That’s not funny,” she said, “the Doctor is just someone my subconscious made up and manifests in my dreams.”<br/>
“If that’s true how would I know you have a fob watch that you’ve been holding onto since I approached you?” he asked his eyes flickering down to where her hand was still stuck in her pocket.<br/>
“You’re a stalker,” she replied as her hand seemingly of its own accord pulled the watch out.<br/>
“Just humor me when I tell you that you need to open that watch,” he said.<br/>
“Why would I open a broken watch?” Belle asked, but even as she said she had brought the watch closer to her face. Her eyes danced over the intricate surface as her thumb hovered over the button.<br/>
“Because this is the first time you’re really seeing it,” he told her, his voice calm, “your eyes aren’t just passing over it like they usually do.”<br/>
Belle didn’t reply as her thumb lingered on the top button. In fact she could barely hear him, she had been transfixed by the soft flow of a female voice that seemed to come from the watch.<br/>
<em><strong>“Open me,”</strong></em> it whispered, <em><strong>“it will all be alright, Belle. You just need to press the button. I promise I will always remember who I was when I was you, but this is important and you need to let me go.”</strong></em><br/>
Belle jerked her thumb away from the button and addressed Jack, “what happens when I open this thing?”<br/>
“I’m not really sure,” Jack replied honestly, “the Doctor said that you would be different that you would go back to being who you’re supposed to be.”<br/>
“I wouldn’t be me anymore,” she said her voice cracking.<br/>
“No,” his reply was brutal but honest.<br/>
“Then why should I?” she was suddenly angry as her eyes snapped up to glare at him.<br/>
“Because it’s the right thing to do? Because the Doctor said we need Gadget to help us,” he replied.<br/>
“Well of course he does the idiot, he’s probably got himself twisted up in something he can’t get out of,” Belle replied, the essence of the time lady leaking into her for a spare second and startling her.<br/>
“That wasn’t me,” Belle’s voice was broken, “I didn’t say that.”<br/>
Jack for his part kept quiet as Belle started with tears in her eyes at the watch.<br/>
“I don’t think I want to do it,” tears began falling from her eyes, “but if I’m not really, real I guess it doesn’t really matter. Does it?”<br/>
“If it makes you feel better the Doctor said you would remember everything that happened while you were like this,” Jack said softly.<br/>
“Yeah, I know,” Belle sighed, “guess I better just take the leap then.”<br/>
Almost immediately upon opening gold gas like swirls seemed to leak out of the inside of it. Then all at once the swirly gold was inside her, her eyes glowing before going back to their normal light brown. Her second heart began beating again as memories rushed through her all at once. Before it all stopped.<br/>
“How long have I been human?” Gadget asked the man who was watching her an unreadable expression on his face.<br/>
“I’m not sure the Doctor didn’t tell me,” he replied with a shrug.<br/>
Gadget rolled her eyes, “of course he didn’t.”<br/>
“He was adamant that we hurry and get back to him though,” he told her.<br/>
“Alright,” Gadget slipped the watch back into her pocket, “where’s the Tardis then?”<br/>
Jack’s face fell, “no Tardis. I have a vortex manipulator and he wants us to use it to get back to London.”<br/>
“What do you mean no Tardis?” she asked. “Don’t tell me he lost it!”<br/>
“I’ll let him explain what happened,” Jack said as Gadget made her way over to him to hold on while he used the vortex manipulator.<br/>
“Oh I can’t wait to yell at him,” Gadget told him before taking his arm and disappearing with him.</p>
<p>	When Luna returned to the art studio it was empty all but her painting and Belle’s sketch book remained. Tentatively she called out for her friend hoping she was just hiding or something, despite their being no place for her to hide. Where had she gone?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Doctor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a couple other chapters written and will publish them later this week. I'm thinking of publishing new chapters one Wednesdays.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2<br/>The Doctor</p>
<p>	“Alright,” Gadget said as a way of greeting the Doctor, “what the hell happened to the Tardis?”<br/>	“Hello to you too,” he told her a small smile on his face.<br/>	“Where is the Tardis?” she reiterated irritably, as her eyes took in his new face. A rather handsome face if she was being honest, but she was too angry to think about it.<br/>	“The Master has it,” he replied, his smile dropping.<br/>	Gadget took a deep breath, and then another one just to be sure. “He’s alive?”<br/>	“Yeah he’s alive,” he replied, “he’s prime minister as well.”<br/>	“Of course he is,” Gadget closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Alright so why haven’t you fixed it yet? I mean all this seems like something you should be able to do on your own. You have before.”<br/>	Before the Doctor could reply his companion’s phone rang. Gadget made a mental note to properly introduce herself to the newest companion, who rightfully probably thought she was rude.<br/>	“Doctor!” the companion hissed, “he’s on the phone.”<br/>	The Doctor made quick strides and took the phone from his companion. “Master,” the Doctor’s voice was calm despite them having turned a corner and were walking down a sidewalk littered with random humans passing by. <br/>	“So be honest,” Gadget leaned towards the new companion, “does the Master still have a goatee?”<br/>	The woman for her part took Gadget’s change in behavior in stride and replied, “no, does it matter?”<br/>	“Not really,” Gadget shrugged, “just curious.”<br/>	“I’m Martha by the way,” the companion said, her voice not concealing her irritation with the situation.<br/>	“Oh right,” Gadget nodded, “sorry I’m usually there when he picks up new companions. I’ve never really had to ask if I’m being honest.”<br/>	“He wants to talk to you,” the Doctor passed the phone to Gadget.<br/>	“No goatee?” Gadget said as soon as the phone was against her ear, “I’m disappointed.”<br/>	“Hello to you too,” the Master's voice was snide, “I’m surprised you’re alive.”<br/>	“Oh harsh,” Gadget replied, “wish I could say the same, but you’ve never been able to stay dead.”<br/>	“One of my many talents,” he told her.<br/>	“Heard you’re prime minister now,” she said, “always knew you were slimy enough to become a politician.”<br/>	“Now you’re just sweet talking me,” the smirk on his face was obvious in his voice. <br/>	Gadget rolled her eyes and passed the phone back to the Doctor, “honestly if you don’t talk to him instead I won’t be able to stop myself from losing my temper.”	<br/>	The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her before taking the phone back and continuing his conversation with the Master. He had nearly forgotten how quick to anger this regeneration of Gadget’s was. Unlike her previous regenerations who had all been either light hearted or calm and collected. With one being particularly unobservant and careless when it came to her own safety.<br/>	It wasn’t long before the group was running in what seemed to Gadget as a random direction. She was definitely not a fan of the running, maybe a past version of herself had been. But this one definitely wasn’t. </p>
<p>	They had made it into an empty warehouse. Where the Doctor and Gadget had both begun setting up shop. The two humans were the only ones who could safely leave to actually go get the supplies they needed. Neither the Doctor nor Gadget wanted to risk going out. It was by far safer for the other two to go. <br/>	“So how long did you leave me human?” she asked quietly once the two of them were alone.<br/>	The Doctor stopped what he was working on for a minute to look at her. His eyes showed all she needed to know. “Long enough,” he finally said breaking eye contact.<br/>	“Years Doctor, how many years?”<br/>	“Only two,” he replied. “I meant to come get you after six months, but things happened.”<br/>	“Do you want to talk about them?” sh asked.<br/>	“Not particularly,” he hesitated, “but I could show you.”<br/>	“Alright,” Gadget replied before closing her eyes and working on bringing down some of her mental barriers that connected their psychic link. A link that had been there since before the time war. It bonded them together as not just friends, but almost as family. She had never particularly been a strong psychic like the Doctor. She barely scraped by when it came to her exams in the subject. If it hadn’t been for her friends she definitely would have failed.<br/>	Slowly the Doctor put his fingers up to her temples. “I’m only going to give you the basics, just enough to give you an idea of what happened and how I regenerated,” he informed her as his fingers made contact with her skin and he opened the mind link.<br/>	Gadget held her breath as fragments of the Doctor’s memories flowed into her mind. Images of a blonde woman, Rose. Meeting her, adventuring with her, taking the entirety of the time vortex out of her. Then the regeneration, Gadget winced at this and nearly broke the connection. Her own regenerations were always so painful, and feeling what the Doctor felt during his own was not a pleasant experience. Then he was his current form, he was still traveling with Rose, then all of a sudden he wasn't. She was on a parallel earth. Then he met a woman Donna, who only stayed with him for the one adventure. Finally there was Martha, his current companion. In Gadget’s opinion she was simply brilliant, despite her obvious crush on the Doctor, honestly she couldn’t understand how anyone got a crush on him. But Martha was brilliant and able to keep up with the Doctor. <br/>	The last memory had far more completion than the past ones. It showed the Master as he had been when posing as a human. Martha had tried to tell the Doctor about the fob watch, before the Master took off with his Tardis leaving the three of them for dead.<br/>	“Are we interrupting something?” Jack asked as the Doctor and Gadget broke the psychic connection moving apart from each other.<br/>	“No,” Gadget said as the Doctor went back to his work, “not at all.”<br/>	“I was filling in some gaps for her,” the Doctor told him.<br/>	Jack raised his eyebrows, “oh yeah?”<br/>	“It was a psychic link,” Gadget informed, “faster to share memories then to just talk about it.”<br/>	“So he was in your head?” Martha asked as she set down the plastic bags she had been carrying.<br/>	“Sort of,” Gadget nodded, “yeah, more like he was pushing memories through our link.”<br/>	“Is that dangerous?” <br/>	“Nah, not really,” she replied, “the only time it can be dangerous is if someone tries to force their way into your head and you resist.”<br/>	“Scary,” Martha had gone to stand beside the other woman and watch what she was doing. <br/>	“Only a bit,” Gadget teased a grin on her face as she went back to her work.<br/>	“So you're like him,” Martha stated, “a Time Lord.”<br/>	“Time Lady,” Gadget replied without thinking, “I’m a little traditional.”<br/>	“Time Lady,” Martha parroted. “So theoretically the two of you could..”<br/>	“I’m going to stop you there,” Gadget cut in, “the Doctor and I have no interest in, well repopulating the species as it were.”<br/>	Beside her she could feel the Doctor blanch at the idea. <br/>	“Really?” Martha asked, her eyebrows raising up high.<br/>	Gadget laughed, “yes really. The Doctor and I have been friends for more life times than you can imagine. We’ve been through so much together, but neither of us want to, how do you humans say it? Boink each other?”<br/>	“No one says that,” Martha laughed despite herself.<br/>	Before Gadget could reply Jack approached and instinctively she recoiled her lip curling up in disgust. Catching it Jack backed off quickly and Gadget relaxed.<br/>	“I’m sorry Jack,” she sighed, “I can’t help it, You’re a walking talking time aversion and it sets me on edge. You shouldn’t exist.”<br/>	“Yeah I’ve heard that,” he laughed trying to play it off. “Though got to say the Doctor doesn’t react as strongly as you do.”<br/>	“I’ve had more time to get used to you,” the Doctor told him, “and the advantage of knowing you before you were like this. She hasn’t, it’s a purely instinctual thing for us. I'm just better at controlling my instincts.”<br/>	Gadget rolled her eyes and muttered, “better my ass.”<br/>	“I am,” the Doctor insisted.<br/>	“Whatever you say Doctor,” Gadget replied before opening the mental link to him. <em><strong>“At least I never tried to strangle one of the companions after a regeneration.”</strong></em><br/>	<em><strong>“One time!”</strong></em> his mental voice echoed into her mind. <em><strong>“Will you ever let me live that down?”</strong></em><br/>	A grin from the Time Lady, <em><strong>“never.”</strong></em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Master</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This starts me scheduling my postings of this story on Wednesday.<br/>Comments and kudos are always welcome.<br/>enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 3<br/>
The Master</p><p>	The group had snuck on to the Valiant to try and apprehend the Master. Jack had been all for sneaking up behind him and snapping his neck. The Doctor had quickly written that idea off and simply wanted to slip a perception filter around his neck to break his hypnotism over the human race.<br/>
Gadget had been absolutely devastated upon seeing what the Master had done to the Tardis. Turning it canibal and making it into a paradox machine. Able to hold up paradoxes on a massive scale. When all of it was over she was going to acquaint the Master with her fist. How dare he hurt the last living Tardis. A Tardis that she and the Doctor would have to fix when all was said and done.<br/>
Gadget had gone to step forward when the Toclafane killed the president, but was held back by Jack and Martha. Then everything went to hell. The Doctor ran towards the Master and was stopped by guards. Guns were being pointed everywhere.<br/>
“Did you honestly think that a perception filter would work on me?” the Master asked the Doctor, then shifted his eyes to Gadget as she moved forward. His guards automatically grabbed hold of her and brought her forward with a wave of the hand. “Did either of you really think that? I’m disappointed.”<br/>
“Not as disappointed as I am, that you don’t have a goatee,” Gadget quipped back.<br/>
“Oh let it go,” he sneered at her, “it stopped being funny after the first time.”<br/>
“I still think I’m pretty funny,” she responded, “remember when you were all crispy? Good times I would pay money to see that happen again.”<br/>
A dark glare was shot her way. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”<br/>
Gadget would have replied but a sharp pressure on her mind from the Doctor warned her against it.<br/>
“And you brought the girly and the freak!” the Master went on as he pulled a long cylindrical tube from his pocket. “Though I’m not sure which is which.” he pointed the screwdriver towards them as Jack made a run at him and fired. Martha was quick to go forward and try and help Jack. “Good news is he won’t be dead long, I get to kill him again!” The Master laughed.<br/>
The Master had the guards released them in order to gloat. His attention solely focused on the Doctor giving Martha, Jack, and Gadget time for a quick conversation.<br/>
“Teleport out of here,” Jack told her as he passed the manipulator to her, “take Gadget and teleport out of here.”<br/>
“No,” replied with a hiss, “I’d only get her caught faster, Martha you need to go alone.”<br/>
Before Martha could take the plunge and teleport out the Master pointed his laser screwdriver at the Doctor and with a press of the button began aging the other Time Lord.<br/>
Martha was quick to rush to the Doctor’s side and wrap an arm around him.<br/>
“And for you Martha Jones,” the Master grinned, “I brought your family! All the way from prison!” With that another set of guards led in Martha’s parents and sister.<br/>
As the Master released the Toclafane onto the earth with a shout, “here come the drums!” Gadget had overcome her instincts and gone to help Jack who was still recovering from his latest battle with death.<br/>
During all of that the Doctor whispered something in her ear that ultimately made her stand up and use the vortex manipulator. Her eyes briefly caught Gadget’s own. Gadget offered her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and nod. From just the Doctor’s memories alone, she knew that she was more than capable of finishing any task he had given her. With one last teary eyed look at her family she pressed the button and teleported out.<br/>
The three remaining of their group all exchanged a look as they heard the cries from the people of earth. The cries for help, cries they wouldn’t be able to do anything about. It was all in Martha’s hands.<br/>
After that Gadget, Jack, and the Jones family were led from the room and then split up. Gadget had half expected to go with either Jack or Martha’s family but she was led down a different corridor.<br/>
The guards who had escorted Gadget to her room had searched her to make sure she had nothing on her. They had confiscated all of her possessions. Not that she had much to begin with as she hadn’t had the chance to grab any of her tools from the Tardis. All they got off her was a penlight, some wires, a couple of loose batteries, and a penknife.<br/>
The room she was put in had a large bed, side tables, a couple of sitting chairs and a bookcase. There was a bathroom attached to it as well as a closet. The guards watched her like a hawk as she explored the room, her curiosity getting the better of her. She looked for any small detail that might give her a way to escape from this place. Or at the very least give her an advantage over the Master.<br/>
It was two guard changes before the Master decided to pay her a visit. A grin plastered to his face as he walked in. With a quick wave of his hand the guards were dismissed. Gadget for her part raised an eyebrow at him from where she had been leaning up against a wall pretending to read an autobiography of some long since dead person. She hadn’t even really cared who it was about when she picked it out, she only needed the guards to think she was behaving and not planning a breakout.<br/>
“I have got to say I am really impressed you went so quietly,” he told her making his way towards her.<br/>
Gadget who had no intention of being trapped against a wall met him halfway. “You and I both know how this will end,” she informed them as they came face to face.<br/>
“And how’s that?” he asked, his eyes scanning her face.<br/>
“You’ll lose,” she replied, her brown eyes burning with rage as she looked into his dark honey ones. “You will alway lose. And when this is over I’m gonna punch you for what you did to the Tardis and this planet.”<br/>
“Ooh,” the Master faked a shiver, “so much rage.” His hand went up to caress her cheek but was violently swatted away.<br/>
“Don’t you touch me,” she hissed her hands curled into fists and all of her muscles tensed.<br/>
“I  have to say I rather like this regeneration,” he informed her. “Though I think the Doctor would be concerned when he hears you putting more of an emphasis on the Tardis then this planet he loves so much.”<br/>
Gadget rolled her eyes in exasperation, “don’t you try that crap with me. We both know that I’ve never been good with people. The Doctor knows that as well and wouldn’t hold it against me. He knows I love this planet and the human race.”<br/>
It was the Master’s turn to roll his eyes, “they’re pathetic.”<br/>
“Says the Time Lord who has no problem taking one as a wife,” she replied, her arms crossing over her chest.<br/>
“Jealous?” he asked with a smirk.<br/>
“Why would I be jealous?” she asked in return.”Who would want to marry you?”<br/>
Suddenly he was far too close to her and his chest nearly touched her own. “I seem to remember a time where you would gladly marry me if I asked,” he said, his hand once again coming up to touch her cheek.<br/>
“That was centuries upon centuries ago,” she replied, resisting the urge to lean into his touch. “Besides what would your wife say if she could see you like this?”<br/>
“Oh I’m sure she would be none too pleased,” he told her. “Especially when your hand is reaching for my laser screwdriver.” He pulled away from her before she could grab hold of the little machine.<br/>
“You can’t blame a girl for trying,” she shrugged before turning away from him feigning disinterest and walking towards the bookcase. “No engineering books, shame.”<br/>
“You know these apes couldn’t write a good engineering book if we gave them five hundred years,” he told her coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.<br/>
Gadget didn’t bother to correct him instead she tried to shrug him off. He had other plans and had spun her to face him. He pushed her up against the bookcase, his hands remaining on her shoulders.<br/>
“You know you could rule beside me,” he told her leaning forward as his lips close to her ear, “rule the universe with me.”<br/>
“You want me to rule the universe with you?” she asked him with a smirk on his face. “Oh I’m sure your wife would love to hear that.”<br/>
“Do you really think I give a damn about some human woman?” he asked her, his voice low and husky.<br/>
“No I don’t,” she replied her voice icey, “nor do I think you could ever care for anyone else aside from yourself.”<br/>
“Maybe you’re right,” he told her, backing away his eyes had become unreadable as he looked at her face.<br/>
“I’m right nine times out of ten,” she informed him, her posture relaxing now that he was further away from her and she no longer had a bookshelf digging into her back.<br/>
“I’m sure you are,” he replied but before he could say anything else one of the Toclafane appeared in the room and beckoned him away to other duties.<br/>
Gadget glared at the door after he had long since left.<br/></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Gadget</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kudos and comments are appreciated. <br/>I will try and write longer chapters if I can, my next few chapters are longer then these last few ones have been.<br/>Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 4<br/>
Gadget</p><p>	“Am I right to assume that not everyone has been gifted with such accommodations?” Gadget asked the Master as he entered her room. By her internal clock it had been at least twenty four hours since his last visit.<br/>
“Does it make you feel special?” he asked her, his eyes falling on her relaxed body draped across one of the chairs, a book in hand.<br/>
Gadget snorted, “yeah sure.”<br/>
The Master plopped himself down across from her in the other chair. “Aren’t you going to ask about the Doctor?”<br/>
“Why would I?” she asked. “I know he’s okay. If you had killed him I would have felt it.”<br/>
“Felt it?” the Master asked, then realization crossed his face, “oh you have a psychic link with him.”<br/>
“Is this seriously the first time you’re realizing that?” she asked him finally looking up from her book to look at him.<br/>
“Alright I’ll humour you how long have you and the Doctor had a psychic link?”  he asked.<br/>
“Since before the time war,” she replied then smirked. “Why jealous?”<br/>
“Of the Doctor?” he asked with a sneer appearing on his face. “Hardly, there’s nothing there to be jealous of.”<br/>
“Oh I don’t know,” Gadget said, “his new regeneration is rather handsome.”<br/>
The Time Lady didn’t miss the dark look that crossed the Master’s face at her words. If anything it made her grin at him. Her teeth flashing in a way that made her look nearly feral. The Master’s face turned into a scowl.<br/>
“You and the Doctor?” he leaned forward, “I can’t picture it.”<br/>
“Oh neither can I,” she replied. “But you are jealous you can’t deny that.”<br/>
“There’s nothing to be jealous of, I’ve won, I've beaten him!” his voice raised into a shout. “I beat the Doctor!”<br/>
Gadget didn’t reply as she watched him stand up and begin to pace. “And does that make you happy?” she asked him, her eyes never leaving his pacing form.<br/>
“Don’t be stupid of course it does,” he stopped to look at her.<br/>
“Finally got everything you ever wanted?” she kept going, standing up and walking towards him. “Then why don’t you just kill us all off then? Because from where I’m standing it seems like you’re hoping we’ll beat you again. And you want to know why? It’s because you’d be bored without us. You wouldn’t have a purpose without the Doctor.”<br/>
The Master snarled at her, “the only reason you two are still alive is so I can torture you more. Make you watch as I take over the universe.”<br/>
“And after that?” she asked, “what then?”<br/>
“What do you mean?” he scoffed.<br/>
“What happens when you take over the universe?”<br/>
“Didn’t I tell you not to be stupid?” he asked.” I can do whatever I want! Destroy whatever galaxy or planet or anything else I want!”<br/>
“Then will it stop? The drumming in your head?” the Time Lady took the chance of getting close to him. “Do you think it will stop the sickness?” she asked standing in front of him, her eyes boring up into his.<br/>
“What do you know of it?” he snapped his face dangerously close to hers.<br/>
“There was a time where we share a similar mental link to the one the Doctor and I have now,” she replied, “a time where you trusted me enough to share your thoughts and concerns with me.”<br/>
“That was a long time ago.”<br/>
“Maybe but why can’t you trust me again?” she asked her voice laced with the hurt and pain of hundreds of years.<br/>
“Because,” he growled, “you ran off with the Doctor! You left our home! You left me to go flouncing around the universe.”<br/>
“I offered for you to come with,” she snapped back, “I offered and you gave me an unfair choice. To choose between my best friend who was like family to me or to choose between my other best friend who I had opened my hearts up too! You changed after the academy, we all did. But the Doctor never made me choose between him or you. Did you know that?” Her eyes were blazing and her hands were clenched into tight fists. “Did you know that in the beginning when you first started reeking havoc he pulled me to the side and gave me the option to sit out? His words to me and I quote, ‘I won’t blame you if you have to sit this out Gadget. I know how this must pain you.’ The Doctor gave me that option! Without even knowing what had been between us when we were at the academy.”<br/>
“Of course he gave you a choice,” the Master’s nostrils flared, “and you still chose to fight against me.”<br/>
“You were hurting people, of course I choose to fight against you,” her face was centimeters away from his, an angry snarl across her face.<br/>
Gadget had expected the Master to snap back at her, had expected him to throw her words in her face. Expected him to get even more angry to rant and rage. What she had not expected was for him to close the distance between the two of them. His lips slamming against hers in a hot kiss.<br/>
If that Time Lady hadn’t been so surprised she might not have returned the kiss. She might have shoved him away, yelled at him or hit him. Instead she melted into the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck as he pulled her closer.<br/>
Hundreds of years of pain and rage fueled the two Galifrayians, as they moved towards the bed. Before they could climb into the bed a knock on the door halted their progress. It helped Gadget break away from the heated make out session. A make out that was definitely leading her down a path she didn’t want to go down. The Master for his part was more than willing to ignore the knock on the door and continue where they had left off. But Gadget had already moved away from him and back towards the safety of her chair.<br/>
“You should get that,” she told him, trying to play off what just happened.<br/>
“They can wait,” he replied ready to advance on her again before another knock came. With an annoyed growl he turned his attention to the door and stomped over. “What is it?” he snarled as he opened the door.<br/>
The guard on the other side had definitely not been prepared to come face to face with the Master who looked ready to kill. “Y-your, your wife sir,” the guard replied, “she was very adamant in seeing you.”<br/>
“Can I ask you a question?” the Master dropped the killer look from his face.<br/>
“Sir?”<br/>
“Who do you take orders from?”<br/>
“I’m sorry sir?” the guard fumbled.<br/>
An eye roll from the Master, “it’s not a hard question you moron. Who do you take orders from?”<br/>
“Well you sir,” he replied.<br/>
“Me, hmm,” the Master reached into his pocket, “then why are you running errands for my wife?”<br/>
Before the guard could reply the Master took his laser screwdriver out and shot him. “Clean this mess up,” he told the other guards before stepping over the corpse and turning to look back at Gadget, “I’ll come back later. We can continue our discussion when I get back.”<br/>
“As if I want to!” she yelled as he shut the door, then quieter to herself, “as if I would want to.”</p><p>	A few minutes after the Master left, Gadget tried to reach out to the Doctor with her mind. Tentatively she touched the part of her mind that linked her to the other Time Lord. She felt the Doctor’s own mind respond instantaneously, his thoughts opening up to hers.<br/>
<em><strong>“Gadget,”</strong></em> the Doctor’s worried voice rang out through her mind,<em><strong> “are you alright?”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“I’m alright Doctor,”</strong></em> she replied, doing her best to keep her emotions in check while hiding her memories, <em><strong>“and you?”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“Fine, for now,”</strong></em> the Doctor’s voice was accompanied by the mental picture of the flight deck where he was being held.<br/>
Gadget winced and by accident shared her own accommodations. <em><strong>“I’m sorry Doctor,”</strong></em> her mental voice sounded small even to her.<br/>
“Well he always did like you better than me didn’t he?”the Doctor asked, trying to lighten her mood.<br/>
<em><strong>“I’m not so sure that’s a good thing,”</strong></em>Gadget replied, blocking out the memory of her kissing the Master. The last thing she needed was the Doctor questioning her about that. Especially since she didn’t have any real answers for him. Not ones she wanted to share with him at least.<br/>
<em><strong>“It will keep you safe,”</strong></em> he told her.<br/>
<em><strong>“Do you really think so?”</strong></em> she asked.<br/>
There was a pause before the Doctor replied, <em><strong>“you know I can’t be sure.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“Yeah I figured,”</strong></em> Gadget sighed out loud, <em><strong>“will Martha be okay?”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“She’s resourceful,”</strong></em> the Doctor replied after a pause. <em><strong>“She’ll do fine on her own.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“I hope so Doctor,”</strong></em> Gadget replied, <em><strong>“she seems like a good person.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“Oh she’s a great person,”</strong></em> the Doctor replied.<br/>
<em><strong>“You know she fancies you,”</strong></em>  Gadget informed him, <em><strong>“though I honestly can’t see why.”</strong></em><br/>
The feeling of indignation came through their link,<em><strong> “rude. This regeneration of yours is ruder than the last one.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“The last one hadn’t gone through the Time War,”</strong></em>  Gadget replied softly.<br/>
Sympathy spilled from the Doctor. <em><strong>“I know. I had forgotten you hadn’t regenerated since the war.”</strong></em><br/>
Gadget snorted, <em><strong>“well I’ve never been one to run through my regenerations like you… Did it help? Regenerating did it help with the pain?”</strong></em><br/>
There was a pause and Gadget was sure that the Doctor wouldn’t answer her question. <em><strong>“A little. But more than anything it was Rose.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“I wish I could have met her.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“Oh you would have gotten on like a house on fire,”</strong></em>  the Doctor replied.<br/>
Gadget decided it was the best time to ask, <em><strong>“do you have a plan to get out of here?”</strong></em><br/>
There was a pause and Gadget was almost sure she felt the Doctor wanting to say yes. <em><strong>“No,”</strong></em> the Doctor’s voice was firm and unnaturally harsh.<br/>
Gadget brushed off the feeling that he was lying to her. <em></em>she told him, <em><strong>“I can feel a headache already beginning to form.”</strong></em><br/>
<em><strong>“Guard your mental barriers,”</strong></em>the Doctor replied before the conversation ended and their connection went back to being the normal mental link they shared.<br/>
Gadget opened her eyes and then immediately squeezed them shut, wincing at the bright lights. Her head was pounding, from connecting with the Doctor and still keeping her mental barriers in place; she had tested her limits and was paying the price for it. She leaned her head back, resetting it against the back of her arm chair and took a deep breath.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Visitation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this one is pretty short and because of that I'll be posting the next chapter either today or tomorrow. It's weird because when I'm writing in google docs the chapters are usually three to four pages long but on here it looks like almost nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 5<br/>Visitation</p><p>“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you speaking with the Doctor psychically?” the Master woke Gadget up from her impromptu nap. His voice was laced with irritation.<br/>Gadget for her part didn’t wince at the noise or the bright lights overhead. Despite the pounding in her head. Instead she stared at him, her facial features completely blank. She also reinforced her mental barriers to the best of her abilities. Which only caused her head to pound with anger. <br/>“Nothing to say?” he asked, stalking over to her. <br/>“What would you like me to say?” she gritted out through her teeth. “That you’re right and that’s exactly what I was doing?”<br/>The Master smirked as he leaned over her, both his hands resting on the arms of her chair.  “What did you two talk about?”he asked, leaning in to where the Time Lady could feel the heat coming off of his body. <br/>“The weather,” she replied, not being able to hide her snide tone.<br/>“I could always force you to tell me,” the Master threatened her leaning in close and pressing his forehead against hers. She didn’t need to know that he was only bluffing.<br/>“Go right ahead,” she snarled anger causing every muscle in her body to tense. “It’s not like you would be the first Time Lord to push his way inside my head without an invitation.”<br/>The Master jerked back from her forehead and stared at her, “who was the first?” His voice didn’t give away the anger that he was feeling but Gadget could see it in his eyes. For Time Lords it was the ultimate betrayal to force one's way inside another's mind. It had never stopped the Master in the past, but the idea that another Time Lord had been inside Gadget’s mind set his anger ablaze.<br/>“It was a long time ago,” she replied, “it doesn’t matter.”<br/>The Master growled, “tell me who it was.”<br/>“It was my father,” Gadget growled back at him.<br/>“I would have killed him if I had known.”<br/>“It’s not like you’ve never forced your way into another Galifreyan’s mind,” Gadget responded, “besides he died in the time war.”<br/>“Why?” The Master had retreated from the Time Lady and had sat down in the arm chair across from her.<br/>“Because he’s a bastard,” she responded, “what do you care? You were just about to do the same thing.”<br/>“I was bluffing,” his voice showed his irritation. “In all the years that we have been facing off against each other. I have never once gone into your mind without premission.”<br/>“But how many other Time Lord minds did you go into without their permission,” Gadget questioned, “how am I any different?”<br/>The Master didn’t answer her question, instead he asked one of his own, “why did your father force his way into your mind?”<br/>Gadget averted her gaze from him. “He wanted to know what I was hiding from him,” she answered.<br/>“What were you hiding from him?” the Master asked intrigued.<br/>Gadget looked at him and in a quiet voice said, “do you need to ask?”<br/>Realization dawned on the Master’s face. “He found out,” he stated.<br/>Gadget nodded, “yeah he found out. Right before the Doctor and I left Galifrey. My father wanted to have me married off the moment he found out.”<br/>His eyes darkened. “And who exactly was he planning on marrying you too?”<br/>Gadget shrugged, “someone from a house that wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibility. I never bothered to get the name.”<br/>“He wanted you to marry up, but stay close to your station.”<br/>“Yeah,” Gadget nodded, “he figured he would only be able to get me a match that was close to our own house’s place. Especially considering the company I kept in those days regarding the Doctor. Who was less than liked by more than a few.”<br/>“Bastard,” the Master hissed.<br/>“You’re hardly one to judge,” Gadget reminded him, then groaned when the pain in her head sharpened. She closed her eyes tightly and leaned her head back once again.<br/>“Headache?” he asked with a smirk.<br/>“Migraine,” Gadget replied through gritted teeth.<br/>“I see your psychic abilities haven’t approved any,” the Master’s tone was snide but the Time Lady ignored it.<br/>“Obviously not,” she stated her eyes still squeezed shut. <br/>“Nearly nine hundred years to practice and you are still having issues.”<br/>“Not all of us can be good at everything,” she snapped.<br/>“You think I’m good at everything?” he raised an eyebrow at her when she finally opened her eyes to look at him.<br/>“We both know you’re brilliant,” Gadget rolled her own eyes, “you could be amazing, if you would stop hurting people.”<br/>“Now where’s the fun in that?” he asked with a grin. <br/>Gadget closed her eyes again, instead of arguing just opting to keep quiet.<br/>It was a few minutes before the Master spoke again and when he did Gadget’s blood ran cold. “Were you there on the last day of the Time War?”<br/>Gadget debated on lying to him for a half second before finally settling on the truth. “I was, I was there when the Doctor used the Moment.”<br/>“You didn’t stop him,” the Master accused. <br/>Gadget opened her eyes and sat up straight to look at the Time Lord. “You weren’t there,” she hissed anger running through her like liquid fire, “you didn’t see the things that he or I saw. The Doctor made an impossible choice. He wasn’t even willing to let me help him do it. Just told me to wait on the Tardis.”<br/>“And you did?” the Master said, “like a good little pet.”<br/>Gadget didn’t reply, her eyes filled with sadness as she closed them to block out the look of disbelief on the Master’s face and bright light of the room. “Yeah I did,” she finally said after a minute her eyes still closed. “I was scared, I can barely live with it on my conscious now,” she sighed, “the war had too much of an effect on me, took too much out of me. Not long after the Doctor regenerated into his previous form, I used a chameleon arc and went human for a while. It was meant to help me find some peace. Unfortunately you showed up and I was pulled out of it early.”<br/>The Master snorted, “you were running away from the pain.”<br/>Gadget let out a hollow laugh, “yeah, yeah I was. I’ve never been great at dealing with emotions. So instead of dealing with them like I should have I just ran away from them.”<br/>“This is the same regeneration you were in during the war?” he asked her.<br/>Gadget nodded eyes opening briefly before closing again, “yeah it is. I’ve never gone through bodies as fast as you or the Doctor have. This is only my seventh.”<br/>The Master rolled his eyes at the Time Lady. “It’s not like I’ve meant to go through so many,” he stated.<br/>Gadget shrugged, “then maybe I’m lucky. Or the two of you are increasingly unlucky one of the two.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am actually super proud of this chapter. One of my favorite things is exploring Gadget's backstory. As always Kudos and comments are always welcomed.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 6<br/>
Dreams</p>
<p>Gadget had gone to bed after the Master had left the room. Hoping that all she needed was to rest in order to cure her migraine. It had been a daunting process just getting up and fumbling over to the light switch to shut off the lights. But the moment she had made it to the bed it seemed like her body just crumpled from exhaustion and she was asleep in seconds. </p>
<p>
  <em>Taven had done her best to make herself scarce during the academy mixer that invited new students in. Her dress was a smidge to big and her hair had already begun falling loose from the bun her mother had put it in. The dress should have been the perfect fit for the eight year old, and if it wasn’t her mother would have sent it back to the tailor’s to get it redone. Unfortunately there hadn’t been any time, as the tailor had been late about getting the dress delivered. Taven honestly didn’t mind too much, having a loose dress made her feel like she could breathe easier. The hair was always going to be a problem anyways, the brown curls waves were hard to tame on a normal day. Mostly her mother had taken to braiding it for her and sending her on her way to her tutors. But it was supposed to be a special occasion and her parents both expected to look her best and act her best.<br/>
The young girl really hoped no one noticed her. This was almost as bad as the ceremony to be taken to see the Untempered Schism, At least with that she hadn’t been expected to mingle. The other students had all seemed to split into small groups to talk to one another. Much like the adults had whenever Taven had to go to one of those boring balls that her family got invited too. The children at those balls however had been expected to stay by their parents and keep quiet. That the young Time Lady could do, and did do very well.<br/>
Taven was brought out of her musings with the approach of another young girl. The red headed girl stopped in front of Taven leaving about two feet of space between the two.<br/>
“I’m Ushas,” the girl greeted in high gallifreyan.<br/>
“I’m Taven,” the brunette replied in the same high gallifreyan.<br/>
“Is there a reason you’re hiding out over here?” Ushas asked, her voice held a formal tone to it even with reverting to common gallifreyan.<br/>
Taven bit her lip, “to tell you the truth I don’t do well around people.”<br/>
Ushas gave her a grin, “me either. I take it you’re not a big fan of crowds?”<br/>
“Not in particular no,” Taven replied.<br/>
Ushas seemed to contemplate something before asking her, “do you want to sneak out and find something fun to do?”<br/>
It only took Taven a split second to decide, she had rarely if ever done anything on purpose that would get her in trouble. But this girl in front of her was giving her the chance to make a friend and how much trouble could they really get in? “Yes I do,” Taven told her her grin matching the other girl’s.<br/>
Ushas had led the other young Time Lady on an exploration through the winding halls of the academy. Taven was surprised to find that not once were they stopped by anyone. In fact they hadn’t actually seen a teacher or an upperclassman at all during their journey.<br/>
In fact it wasn’t until the two reached the end of their fifth hall that they actually ran into anyone. Or rather were run into, two boys their age had sprinted around the corner and ran into them. Sending everyone tumbling to the floor.<br/>
“Theta?” Ushas asked one of the boys as she and Taven got up and dusted themselves off.<br/>
“No time to talk,” the boy replied quickly, “we need to run.”<br/>
Taven was given no chance to introduce herself as Theta grabbed the hand of the nearest person to him. That being Taven who in turn sent a startled look to Ushas as she was dragged down the hall. Her legs pumped as hard as they could to keep up with the boy.<br/>
It wasn’t until the four of them had made it to one of the libraries and huddled in a back study nook that Taven was able to free her hand from the boy. Who gave her a sheepish look before his attention was caught by Ushas.<br/>
“What exactly were we running from?” she gasped out in between gulps of air.<br/>
“Theta decided it would be a good idea to try and sneak around while everyone was busy,” the other boy told Ushas quickly. “What were you doing in the halls?”<br/>
“If you must know Koschei. Taven and I.” Ushas gestured from the other girl to herself, “were not getting caught with our sneaking around.”<br/>
“But why were you sneaking around?” Theta directed his question to Taven who had gone to stand beside Ushas.<br/>
“I’m not a big fan of crowds,” Taven replied as she decided to take down her hair. Too much of it had fallen out of the bun for her to keep it up without looking like she was going crazy.<br/>
“We were looking for something fun to do that wouldn’t get us caught,” Ushas told him.</em>
</p>
<p><em>Taven was studying for the upcoming Temporal Theory exam in the Decca’s normal study space. A large room hidden behind an old picture of Rassilon. Theta and Koschei had been the ones to find it originally when most of the group's members were ten and ever since then they had been using it. Though neither had ever said how they found it. It had quickly become a place for the group's eleven members to hide out from the rest of the academy. To just take some time for themselves in a place that only the other members would disturb them in, or to study, or even just to hang out with one another. It had been a safe haven for them for three years.<br/>
Taven had recently even started finding spare parts and bringing them into the room to work on projects in the right back corner of the large room. Ushas had done something similar and had brought in a chemistry set to work on in the left back corner of the room. The rest of the room was filled with comfortable arm chairs and couches that had been there when it was found. As well as bookshelves that had many copies of the books found in the library of the academy. Though each member of the group had added some extra books onto them as well. In the middle of the room there was a table that could comfortably sit up to twelve people. Which they often used for their study sessions.<br/>
Taven however laid sprawled out one of the couches going over her notes for the temporal theory class. She was more than confident in her abilities to pass that exam after comparing notes with Millennia but she found it was a good idea for her to go over her notes on her own just to make sure.<br/>
The thirteen year old Time Lady was brought out of her studying by the entrance of Koschei and Theta. The two boys were arguing about something or other but stopped when they saw Taven spread out on the couch.<br/>
“How long have you been in here?” Theta asked.<br/>
“What time is it?” Taven asked, moving her legs so that Koschei could sit down.<br/>
“After dinner,” Theta replied sitting in the chair across from the two.<br/>
“Six hours,” Taven said, “give or take a half hour.”<br/>
“Ushas has been looking for you,” Koschei informed her while grabbing a stack of her notes and skimming through them.<br/>
“Oh I know,” Taven replied making to grab back her notes from her friend, “Rallon found me early told me the same thing. I told him if he ran into her again to tell her I wasn’t here. It must have worked because she hasn’t looked here yet.”<br/>
“Why are you hiding from her?” Theta asked as he watched Taven try to wrestle back her notes from their friend.<br/>
“Fine,” Taven hissed at Koschei before replying to Theta,”she wants me to help her with an experiment.”<br/>
Theta’s already pale face lost any trace of color it had in it before. “Oh if that’s the case I don’t blame you for hiding out.”<br/>
“It can’t be that bad,” Keschei assured her.<br/>
“You’ve never been asked to experiment with her,” Taven replied. “It’s not like she wants you to help her, she wants to do the experiment on you.”<br/>
Koschei stared at the young Time Lady, an unreadable expression on his face. “How many experiments has she put you through?”<br/>
“None!” Tave replied, “I’m intelligent enough to avoid her, unfortunately others aren’t so lucky and don’t know her as well as we do. Most of her experiments are harmless but there’s always the potential for something to go wrong. Not to mention she’s a real dictator when it comes to how the experiment is done.”<br/>
“Who are the others?”<br/>
“Underclassman,” Theta put in helpfully before he got up from his seat to go towards Taven’s work area.<br/>
Taven was up out of her own in an instant, notes completely forgotten. “Oh no you don’t Theta Sigma! You stay away from my things!”<br/>
Koschei laughed at his friends from his spot on the couch. Theta had quickly back tracked away from the angry brunette his hands up in a surrender motion. Taven was in front of her workstation guarding it like a mean dog. Her glare firmly on the blonde boy in front of her.<br/>
Koschei smirked as he stood up and walked over to them. He passed by Theta and made his way to stand by Taven.<br/>
"Why's he allowed to be in your work station?" Theta mumbled.<br/>
"Because he's my favorite," Taven replied with a smirk.</em> </p>
<p>
  <em>A sixteen year old Taven lay on her back beside Koschei. His father’s red pastures waved in the wind around them as the two looked up into the night sky. Their school group had decided to take a camping trip out into the fields during the weekend. The rest of the Decca were resting in their tents, or in the case of Railon and Millennia as wekk as Ushas and Magnus had snuck off to have some alone time far enough away that no one would bother the couples.<br/>
Koschei and Taven had, had the same idea as the other two pairs of couples and had snuck off in the opposite direction far enough away from the sets of tents. As well as far enough away that Theta hopefully wouldn’t find them.<br/>
“It was nice of your parents to let us camp out here,” Taven broke the peaceful silence and rolled onto her side to look at the other teenager.<br/>
“I think they’re just happy that we’re staying out of trouble after the mountain climbing incident,” he replied, turning to face her as well.<br/>
Taven winced, she still wasn’t sure how Theta had managed to convince them that it would be a fun adventure. “Yeah probably,” Taven agreed.<br/>
“I think Theta is starting to get suspicious of us,” Koschei informed her, his green eyes meeting her dark brown ones.<br/>
“I know,” Taven sighed, “Ushas is too. I just want to keep this for ourselves just a little bit longer.”<br/>
“We can take as much time with this as you need,” Koschei reminded her softly, the same reminder he gave her often enough.<br/>
“You’re too patient with me,” Taven smiled at him.<br/>
Koschei shrugged, “I want you to be comfortable. Plus I know it won’t be easy for you if your father finds out.”<br/>
Taven winced at this. Her father had it in his head that he would be the one to pick the young Time Lady out a suitor once she graduated from the academy and had a position in their society fitting her rank. Something she had no intention of going along with, if she could help it.</em>
</p>
<p><em>Taven could feel Koschei’s mind brush against her’s through their link. Automatically Taven opened her mind to him.<br/>
“Koschei?” Taven asked, “is everything alright?”<br/>
“Everything is fine,” he replied. “I wanted to see if you would meet me in the club’s meeting space.”<br/>
“Yeah,” Taven said, “I’ll have to be careful though. If I’m caught out of bed again I’ll be placed in a lecture.”<br/>
“Ten minutes?” Koschei asked.<br/>
“Ten minutes,” Taven agreed.<br/>
It had taken Taven the entire ten minutes in order to go around and not be caught by the teachers who walked the halls at night. Or the upperclassmen who helped them track down young students who were out past curfew.<br/>
“Koschei?” Taven asked as she entered the secret room, “what’s going on?”<br/>
“Is it so wrong I wanted to see you?” he asked her, as he pulled her to him in a strong hug.<br/>
Taven let out a little squeak but quickly recovered and wrapped her arms around him. “No,” she said, “but we will see each other in class tomorrow. As well as after class.”<br/>
“Maybe I just want you to myself for a while,” he informed her, his lips brushing across her forehead.<br/>
“You’re being selfish,” Taven tried to joke.<br/>
“Maybe I am,” he replied. “But you’ve never complained in the past, my love.”<br/>
“Oh that’s because I’m just as selfish,” Taven replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world causing her companion to chuckle.</em> </p>
<p>Gadget woke to the bed she was laying on shifting. Her eyes snapped open and made contact with the dark eyes of the Master. She could tell by the expression on his face he had been in the room for a while.<br/>
“What were you dreaming about?” he asked her as she sat up.<br/>
“Galifrey,” there was no point in her lying about it. Especially when it was probably written all over her face.<br/>
“The academy?” he guessed.<br/>
Gadget nodded, “yeah. Memories of our time there.”<br/>
The Master smirked, “which memories?”<br/>
Gadget scowled at him, “the first day when I met the Rani, that time you and the Doctor found me hiding from her in our club's secret hideaway, the night we all went camping out in your father’s pastures and the one where we met in the hideout a couple weeks before graduation.”<br/>
The Master’s smirk turned into a grin, “apologies from waking you from such a good dream.”<br/>
“Shut up,” Gadget snapped, “the memory didn’t get that far. If it had it would have turned into a nightmare.”<br/>
“Funny I don’t seem to remember you complaining about it at the time,” the Master replied, “in fact I remember you begging me.”<br/>
Gadget refused to let a blush rise to her face. She definitely didn’t need reminding of the times she and the Master had known each other intimately. Especially not when her own mind was betraying her while she slept.<br/>
“That was a really long time ago,” Gadget stated, “a lot has happened since then.”<br/>
“Yes it has,” he replied, “though it is a surprise that the only person who ever figured out what we were always up to was the Rani.”<br/>
“She knew?”<br/>
The Master nodded, “yes she did, she seemed to take great joy in reminding me the few times we worked together.”<br/>
“Yeah well she would,” Gadget sat up her back pressed against the wooden headboard of the bed.<br/>
“Why have you never told the Doctor?”<br/>
“Why would I? I never saw a reason to,” she replied, “though I wouldn’t be surprised if he has figured it out. Or atleast has some suspicion of it, even if he has he’s never told me.”<br/>
“Shame,” the Master said and then grinned, “maybe I should tell him.”<br/>
Gadget glared at him, she knew he wanted her to rise to his bait to beg him not to tell so instead she said, “go ahead, there’s no point in hiding it now.”<br/>
“I think I will,” the Master replied before he stood up and fixed his suit. “After all, his best friend is keeping such a huge secret from him.” When he failed to get a reaction from the Time Lady he continued, “maybe I’ll even show him some of my memories.”<br/>
“I didn’t realize you were a voyeur,” Gadget snarked back.<br/>
“Oh! I didn’t mean those memories,” the Master responded, “but I like where your head is.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Workshop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is being posted quite a bit later in the day then I originally intended. I've had a lot going on the last few days and haven't had a whole lot of time to write. Usually when I write on Tuesdays I also have the next chapter saved as a draft to here so that I can post it the moment I wake up Wednesday. <br/>That being said if I'm for some reason not able to post a chapter during my normal Wednesdays you can find out on my tumblr: Winterautumndreaming. Where aside from sharing stuff I like I will also post updates on my writing and any delays. <br/>As always I hope you enjoy and kudos and comments are always appreciated.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 7<br/>Workshop</p>
<p>The Master sat across from the Doctor on the flight deck. His fingers tapping out the beat of the drums that had been haunting him since his childhood. The same beat that had driven him into his madness. <br/>“How much do you remember of our time in the academy?” the Master finally asked stopping his tapping and meeting the Doctor’s eyes.<br/>“Enough,” the Doctor replied his voice sounded as old as he looked.<br/>	The Master smirked, “do you remember the Rani and Warcheif’s fling?”<br/>	The Doctor nodded hesitantly while trying to figure out where the Master was going with all this. <br/>	The Master smirked, “and did you ever figure out about mine and Gadget’s relationship.”<br/>	“She wouldn’t have,” the Doctor replied, “her family were too strict on the matter.”<br/>	The other Time Lord rolled his eyes, “oh come on Doctor. It never once occurred to you?”<br/>	“No it didn’t,” he replied evenly.<br/>	“Not even when you offered her to sit out when we first faced off all those years ago?” he asked. <br/>	“You were our friend. I didn’t want fighting you to cause her any pain,” the Doctor replied his old eyes locking on to the Master’s.<br/>	“You know when she told me that, I had thought for sure she had already told you everything. Then I found out rather recently you still had no clue. She said she thought you had your suspicions but you didn’t, did you? Trying so hard to see the good in everyone around you. Not wanting to believe that your oldest friend used to be the lover of your enemy.”<br/>	“I wouldn’t have held it against her,” the Doctor replied, “I never would have.”<br/>	The Master snorted out a laugh, “I’m sorry I just can’t get over the fact that you never figured it out! I mean come on Doctor even in those early days the signs were there. Not once did she ever directly confront me. Excluding that time during the Game of Rassilon.”<br/>	The Doctor seemed to think over what the Master had said. When he hadn’t replied after a few minutes the other Time Lord was about ready to get up and leave with a closing jab but before that could happen he stated, “not once did you ever try to kill her. You captured her plenty, had every chance to do so on multiple occasions but you never did.” <br/>	The Master rolled his eyes, “don’t go there.”<br/>	“You care about her,” another statement from the withered Time Lord.<br/>	“Shut up,” the Master snapped, jumping to his feet, his hand going to where he kept the laser screwdriver.<br/>	“I only have one more thing to say to you,” the Doctor began but before he could say anything else the Master stormed from the room. </p>
<p>Gadget watched as two of the Toclafane soared around her room in lazy circles. Her normal human guards that stood outside her door, had been replaced by the metal monstrosities early that day. The Time Lady really couldn’t see the point in having the cylinders roaming inside her room when they had relieved the guards who had been stationed outside of it. She supposed it had something to do with putting her on edge. <br/>She was brought out of her musings when the Toclafane closest to her spoke. “The Master is coming,” its voice was high pitched and giddy.<br/>“Oh joy,” Gadget snaked towards it. <br/>The Toclafane made as if it would swoop towards her but vered off at the last second just as the door to the room opened. <br/>“Is everyone playing nice?” the Master asked as he entered and the Toclafane zoomed over to him.<br/>“The lady hasn’t moved,” the second Toclafane spoke its voice a couple tones lower than the first.<br/>“She’s been boring,” the first spoke as it and its companion followed the Master over to where Gadget was seated.<br/>Gadget, instead of saying anything to defend herself against the accusation of the Toclafane, through the book she had been holding at it. The book soared and hit the creature directly in its center causing it to teeter off its course. In retaliation both Toclafane release the razor sharp knives built into them. <br/>“No need for that,” the Master told the two, “your both dismissed.”<br/>“Yes Master,” they replied in unison before teleporting out of the room.<br/>“Do you want to know what they are?” the Master asked her while sitting on the arm of her chair. <br/>“Not particularly,” Gadget replied.<br/>“Someone’s in a mood today,” the Master stated.<br/>“Being held prisoner tends to put me in a foul mood.”<br/>He smirked at her, “it could be worse for you, you know.”<br/>Gadget rolled her eyes, “I’ve heard that one before.” She stood up and walked away from where he was still sitting on the arm of the chair. She grabbed the book from the floor and put it away before taking down another one from the bookshelf.<br/>The Master raised an eyebrow at her, “how often have I said that to you?”<br/>Gadget shrugged, “a few times. Always some variation, ‘you know my dear Gadget it could be much worse for you,’ or ‘I can make things a lot worse for you,’ or my favorite, ‘if you don’t like your accommodations my dear I can always show you how bad it could be.’ Same old song and dance.”<br/>“Are you accusing me of being predictable?” he asked, insulted.<br/>The brunette said over her shoulder, “Master you are nothing if not predictable.”<br/>The Master stared at her, “I am not predictable.”<br/>“Do you want me to give examples?” she snapped, “because I can.”<br/>“Go right ahead,” he snapped back.<br/>“Fine,” Gadget spun to face him, the new book in hand, “how about the time on the cheetah planet? Or the time with the nesting consciousness? Or the countless other times I’ve somehow been stupid enough to get captured by you? Everyone of those times follows the same pattern. You stick to a script.”<br/>The Master stood up and made his way towards her, “then allow me to go off script for a change.”<br/>“What are you going to finally kill me?” Taven asked, arms crossed as he stopped in front of her.<br/>“No, I'm going to make you help me take over the universe,” he replied eerily calm.<br/>“Oh?” she raised an eyebrow out him, “and how exactly are you going to do that? More importantly why would you need my help?”<br/>“I’ll kill the Doctor,” he replied a smirk dawning on his face as she paled, “and I don’t need your help. But making you help brings me a sense of satisfaction.” <br/>Gadget stared up at him in disbelief, “what exactly would I be helping with?”<br/>“The construction of a new Archangel Satellite that can transmit across the universe and that taps into every bit of technology,” he replied.<br/>“It can’t be done,” she stated, pushing past him. “As for you killing the Doctor I don’t believe you, you want him around to gloat.”<br/>“Don’t call my bluff on it,” he replied, grabbing her arm and stopping her forcing her to face him. “I have no problem killing him. As for the satelite it can be done, don’t tell me your mind didn’t start reeling with a million possibilities on how to make it the moment I mentioned it.”<br/>“You want me to help you create a hypnotic transmission device that will reach the edge of the universe,” she pulled out of his grip, “and expect me just to do it because you threatened the Doctor’s life?”<br/>“Yes,” he replied simply.<br/>“You fucking asshole,” she hissed, her hand that held the book going white from how tight she was gripping it. <br/>“I’ll take that to mean you can’t wait to get started in the morning and to see your new workshop,” he told her while caressing her cheek.<br/>Gadget swatted his hand away. “Yes I’ll do it.”<br/>	“Good, I’ll personally escort you to the work shop in the morning,” he told her as he made his way to the door, “I have no doubts you’ll love it.”<br/>	The moment the door shut behind him Gadget threw the book she was holding at it, her temper finally getting the better of her. She had to take several steadying breaths before she could go retrieve the book and trust herself not to throw it again. She silently hoped her next regeneration, whenever that might be, wouldn’t be nearly as volatile as her current one. </p>
<p>	The next morning was brought in by the Master appearing just as Gadget had finished getting dressed. The clothes she had been given had all been some variation of the outfit that she had worn the first day on the Valiant. Loose shirts or sweaters and jeans. She had never bothered asking the Master how he knew what sizes she wore, she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know the answer. <br/>	“Ready to get started?” the Master grinned at her nearly bouncing where he stood.<br/>	Gadget shot him a dirty look, “as ready as I’ll ever be.”<br/>	The Time Lord grin widened as he offered his arm to her and she took it. “Try and look a little happier about this,” he said as he led her down the hallway, “after all you’re getting to work with technology again, Instead of being cooped up in a dull room.”<br/>	“Thank you so much for letting me help you cause the downfall of the universe,” Gadget replied in a faux chipper voice. “Afterwards do you think we could get tea?”<br/>	“Anything for you darling,” the Master replied as he led her through the door of the workshop.<br/>	Gadget held back a gasp, but she wasn’t able to hold back the look of astonishment on her face. She had been expecting a dingy little work space. Instead she had gotten a nice room filled to the brim with different materials. As well as a work bench where she could plan and work on prototypes, <br/>	“I take it you like it?” the Master asked.<br/>	Gadget quickly returned to a neutral face, “it’s not what I was expecting.”<br/>	“You’ll be monitored at all times of course,” the Master pointed at the cameras lining the walls, “as well as guarded. Can’t have you making something you shouldn’t be.”<br/>	“Are you worried I’ll make a bomb?” she asked sarcastically. <br/>	The Master ignored her, instead he steered her towards where he had basic plans laid out. “I’ve already taken the liberty of creating the basic plans, and bringing in the original plans from the original. Your job is to make it smaller and able to broadcast across the universe.”<br/>	Gadget quickly picked up the plans, her eyes scanning through them. “If you want me to help you do this, then I need to be allowed to work on my own plans for it.”<br/>	The Master raised his eyebrows, “do you not like my plans?”<br/>	“I think I can do better, that is what you want right?” Gadget asked, “for me to do better and create a prototype.”<br/>	“Yes that’s what I want,” he replied. <br/>	“It’ll take a while.”<br/>	“How long?” he asked.<br/>	“To just make the plans and prototype? Could take upwards of six months to a year,” she replied, setting the plans down and facing him. <br/>	“Then you had better get started,” he told her as two Toclafane appeared in the room. <br/>	“I just have one question,” Gadget said, “why do you need a new archangel satellite if you have those little monstrosities? Aren’t they good enough to help you take over the universe?”<br/>	“Oh they are,” he replied, “it would just be faster for me to have a system to broadcast my will across the universe. Instead of relying on them entirely… My offer still stands, you could rule beside me.”<br/>	“Hard pass,” Gadget replied, “I still stand with the Doctor.”<br/>	The Master sneered at her before storming out of the room slamming the door behind him.<br/>	“The boring lady made the Master mad,” one of the Toclofane spoke from above Gadget’s head. <br/>	“Oh goodie,” Gadget sighed, “you’re the someone from earlier aren’t you?”<br/>	When the thing didn’t reply Gadget sat down at the workbench and began going over both sets of plans in detail. Her own plan for the whole thing was to drag this out for as long as possible. Or as long as it took for the Doctor to come up with a plan to stop the Master.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>P.S. I really do hope that I'll start to be able to produce longer chapters as time goes on and don't get stuck producing short chapters like this one.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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